Summers of Mindoir
by CecilTheSeahawk
Summary: A washed-up boxer and an aspiring farmer, the Shepards, decide to slip the surly bonds of Earth and join the Alliances' new Colonization Initiative. A new world for their family to grow and prosper. This is the story of a young Johnny Shepard, his family, his friends, the skills and values he learned that shaped him into becoming the hero the Galaxy needed most.
1. Last Resorts

Summers of Mindoir

Chapter 1: Last Resorts

 ** _Year 2150 – Earth, Ireland_**

Shepard was in a bad spot.

 _"Shepard takes a right hook to the jaw! Manningham is driving him to the ropes!"_

Broken jaw, ribs getting hammered, backed into a corner. He needs to push back or he's done. A left hook to the face…nope, missed. Manningham is gonna punish him for that.

 _"Manningham is like a machinegun with hands and Shepard is getting riddled out there!"_

The crowd seems bored. This outcome was predictable. Will Shepard was probably the biggest bum in his weight-class, while Ryan Manningham was a rising star contender. Most folks were just happy to rake in the easy bet money. Except for one face in the crowd: that face belonged to a dark-haired woman with a silver-band around her ring finger. Her aquamarine-colored eyes looked on the match with horror and disgust…and it was about to get worse.

Will could barely see anything right now, all he could feel was Ryan's shots and jabs. Ref is this close to calling a TKO, but Ryan was just about ready to end it anyway, he's winding up for a haymaker.

 _Aw shit._ That was Will's last thought before fist met skull.

 _"Shepard is down! Manningham delivered a nasty right haymaker and it was Goodnight Irene! Ref is calling it annnnd…that's it! Manningham wins by KO in 5 rounds. He continues his climb up the ladder while Shepard eats his 12_ _th_ _straight loss: this is also his 4_ _th_ _KO loss this year. If you ask me, he needs a thorough head examination after tonight."_

Shepard's crew started crowding him, ready to bring out the stretcher. To his credit though, he managed to regain consciousness and slowly but surely summoned the strength to stand up. He let his pride fuel him on the way. As he hobbled his way out of the ring, he could see through his swollen, puffy eyes the dark-haired woman waiting on the floor by the exit to the locker-room. Her face looked damp from semi-dried tears, her eyes betraying a look of concern, disgust and frustration all at once.

"You look like shit," she managed to say.

"Is it that bad?" He replied. Feeling out his face, and yeah he certainly felt like shit right now.

"Worse…come here," she waved at him to come over and when he was close enough she draped his arm over her shoulder to support him, then they slowly made their way to the locker-room.

"I was scared you were actually going to die this time," the woman said in a subtle, angry tone.

"Ah come on Hannah…you know I'd never leave you," his voice was slurred, but that response seemed to have earned him a faint smile.

"How many times do you have to lose before you realize this isn't working?"

"Till I make just enough for the farm."

"I'm going to be **burying** you under the farm at this rate!" she said with more anguish in her voice. The two of them had been looking to buy a plot of land to start a farming business together. The thing was though that the Earth was now so developed and over-populated, fresh farm land was extremely expensive to come by. And for a young William Shepard, boxing seemed to be the only way to come into that kind of money. Ever since he was a child growing up in the Irish countryside, all he knew how to do was fight. Now that he had a family to look after, he was especially determined to win just one big pay-out to set them up. So much so that he signed up for the most dangerous, underground boxing circuit in Ireland just to maximize the earnings.

Once they made it to the locker-room, Hannah set him on the lounger and started applying the first-aid to him. She's done this so many times she was practically his personal physician.

She sighed, "I'm getting really sick of this Rocky impression you know," she said while slowly stitching his face together. He hissed every time the needle pierced his skin.

"I know you think this is the only way to make our dreams come true," she finished the stitches and started gently rubbing his face, feeling out any blemishes. Her voice took a more concerned and contemplative tone. "But the dream, **isn't** worth your life. Especially now that…" She took her free hand and started rubbing her slightly swollen tummy. "It's not just the two of us we need to look after anymore," Will didn't reply, just laid down absorbing her words. "…And if you do make out of this alive, I don't want the first words you try to teach our child be slurred through a concussion."

It was Will's turn to talk now, so he took a deep breath and held onto his wife's hand. "Hannah…I know it's not fun at all watching me up there," she scowled at the blindingly obvious statement. "But trust me. With my record, all it's gonna take is for me to pull **one** upset win: everything will be set for us, and I'll never put the gloves on again."

Hannah took a moment to take in what he said. "What if that win never comes? What if you just keep getting your ass beat every week, and I'm the one left to fix you up until there's nothing left of you?!" Her voice choked, and tears started welling up in her eyes as she asked. "And then I'm the one stuck with raising a baby by myself?! What then Will Shepard?"

Will was at a loss with her questions. He hated seeing her upset, especially when he was the cause of it. And there was no denying her logic, there was no reason to believe that a win would ever come with the luck he was having. Shepard always showed heart in the ring, but blind determination could only get you so far and he was regularly proven to be overmatched in this league.

"So…you'd rather I just give up and we lose the dream?"

"I'd rather lose the dream than lose you, yes," That hit him like a ton of bricks. "And have you look into non-life-threatening ways of making money like the rest of us normal folk do."

Will took a deep breath, looking up at the ceiling. "Ahhh…ok darlin'. I'll think about it."

"You'll do it."

"I'll **think** about it."

"I don't think that noggin' of yours is any condition to do 'thinkin' after the beating it just took. So **do it**!"

"Alright! Alright! I'll set up a meeting with Brenden and we'll work something out."

Hannah took a big sigh of relief. "Good…that's I wanted to hear." She pulled up a chair, gave him a soft kiss and rested her head on his bandage-wrapped chest, feeling the steady movement of his breathing, their hands still locked together. The subtle power of sleep started to claim both of them, until Hannah suddenly remembered something she wanted to tell him before his match started.

"It's a boy."

That woke Will right back up.

"Huh?"

"The doctors, they said it was boy…we're having a son Will."

"A son…" a wide smile started growing across Will's face. It messed up the stiches a little bit, but he hardly cared. "That's wonderful news darlin'."

Contrary to Hannah's earlier joke, Will's noggin' was doing **a lot** of thinking right now. Specifically, what exactly was he going to tell his bookie Brenden to get him a good-paying winnable match. Because now with thoughts of his son now rolling in his head, he was more determined than ever to secure a good future for his wife and the little one. He should probably think about what he was gonna tell Hannah if he booked that match too.

A/N: So, after many years of lurking on this site, I've finally decided to try my own hand at this writing business and came up with this story. Please leave a review, let me know what you all think. I really want to make this a new hobby for me. Thanks for reading :)

By-the-by: The son Hannah is pregnant with isn't THE Shepard yet. It's his older brother, but we'll get to that. Special Thanks goes to RedCenturianG for beta-reading for me. Check him out, the guy is an excellent writer!


	2. Loss And Opportunity

Chapter 2: Loss & Opportunity

 ** _Year 2151 – Earth, Ireland_**

It's been a few months since that disastrous Manningham fight. Will had kept his promised to Hannah and not had a match since then, albeit not through trying. He'd been having several meetings with his manager, Brenden, about finding him just one more match that could give him a good pay-out for the of the three of them to live comfortably, but apparently he just wasn't demand lately. Hannah was far into the pregnancy now, their boy was actually due to arrive in a few weeks. They had just agreed on a name too…Michael.

So, with no matches lined up and no job, that left William with nothing to do but lounge on their apartment couch, streaming his favorite crime dramas. Hannah was currently working in her "agricultural lab" as she called it in the other room, studying for her classes. Will just called it a "garden" whenever it was brought up. Still, she was way smarter than he could hope to be. There was no way he was getting into college with his background, let alone working on a master's degree in Agriculture.

 _"_ _Why did she agree to marrying a meathead like me again?"_ He wondered to himself.

All this laying around was making him stir-crazy so he decided to get up and go retrieve some mail from their box. He reached in and stared sorting through the letters.

 _"_ _Junk…Junk…Bill…Bill…St. Paul's Hospital? Shit, hope it's not more bad news about Lauren."_

Just then he felt a vibration in his pocket. His phone. He received a text message from Brenden.

 _"_ _Hey, come down to the office tomorrow afternoon. I think I got something for ya."_

 _"_ _Oh sweet! Finally something good hopefully. I'll be there. See ya tomorrow!"_

Returning to the pile of letters, Will noticed a blue envelope at the bottom. In the corner was an "A" shaped emblem with a globe in it's center. Will recognized this symbol as that of the Systems Alliance organization that formed a couple years ago. It was addressed to Hannah.

 _"_ _What could those people want from her?"_

Will didn't pay all that much attention to the news, but even he knew that human society had changed drastically in the last few years. They were living in a new Golden Age of space travel & exploration. The Alliance was the spearhead of that exploration. Ever since they found ruins on Mars and discovered that Pluto's moon is actually a giant slingshot to anywhere in the galaxy, the entire human race got thrown into a tizzy over the possibility of finding Alien life and colonizing new planets. It was an exciting new age in science, we even finally figured out how to make flying cars work!

 _"_ _Maybe it's some sort of job offer."_

He returned up to the apartment and knocked on Hannah's door.

"Hey darlin'! I got some mail for ya!"

She swiftly opened the door, but not leaving the room. "What mail?"

"Well you got one from Saint Paul's…" Hearing that made her eyebrows sag in concern just a bit. "and one from I think the Systems Alliance." _That_ made her brow shoot all the back up.

"WHAT!? Really?"

"Well I mean, I'm pretty sure this is their symbol on it." He said, holding up the blue letter. "And it says 'Systems Alliance' right on the front, so my guess is that's who they are."

Hannah quickly lifted her hands to reach for the letter, only to stop midway to look at her dirt-covered hands.

"Do you mind opening them for me? My hands are filthy right now."

"Sure." He started digging his finger through the crease while Hannah ran off to the bathroom to wash her hands.

"Could you actually open the one from St. Paul's first. I wanna know how mum is doing."

"Yeah, alright." He sat back down on the couch, open and read the letter:

 _"_ _Dear Mrs. Hannah Shepard,_

 _It is with great sorrow we must inform you that your mother, Lauren Rivers, has not been responding well to treatment and the brain tumors have started to spread throughout her body. She is now in stage 4 cancer. We will still be providing treatment to her, but you should know survival rates at this stage are very low, and as her only next of kin, we will need you sign her over to hospice care should the worst come to pass._

 _Signed,_

 _Dr. Richard Grover"_

"Jesus Wept." Will whispered.

"What's it say?" Hannah yelled from the bathroom. Will said nothing and just got up with the letter walking toward, the blue letter laying forgotten on the coffee table.

He could she her by the sink, her hands now washed clean. He did his best not to let the look of despair across his face portray the meaning of the letter "Umm…I think you should look at it yourself darlin'." If the look on _her_ face was any indication, he failed miserably. Her frown matched his own once she saw it.

At a much slower speed than when she reached for the blue letter from earlier, her hands were now trembling as she grabbed from Will's hand and began to read. As her eyes darted across the paper, they began to fill quickly with tears.

Once she was done, she silently let the letter fall to the floor, locked Will into a tight hug, like he was a piece of flotsam in a deadly storm at sea and began sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder. Will did his best to comfort her by holding her tightly and crying along with her.

Lauren was the only family Hannah had left, since her father died when she was still a teenager. William never even knew his own mother, he grew up in orphanages for most of his life, but Lauren was kind and courteous to him despite his background, and he was proud to consider her a mother. The possibility that she might not even live to see the birth of her grandson was devastating to the both of them.

They stood there crying together for several minutes before they moved over to the couch. They didn't feel like doing anything else for the rest of the day. They just stay in their flat, tending to their grief, well into the night, until they decided to go to bed and fall asleep in each other's arms.

 _The Next Day_

William was the first to wake up. Sunlight poured into their room. Their pillow cases still stained their tears. He started caressing Hannah's swollen tummy, though his heart still ached for Lauren and what she was going through, he found hope for the future thinking about his wife and little baby Michael growing within her. There was a kind of morbid beauty to it. Where one life ends, another one begins.

His rubbing seemed to awoken Hannah, cause she was now stirring. "Good morning." She said in a hushed tone.

"Good morning" Gave her a customary good morning kiss. "Do you have classes today?"

"I don't feel like going in right now. I'm going to visit mum at the hospital and skip the day."

"I don't think anyone will blame you for that."

"You going to come with me?"

"I…can't. I…made an appointment with Brenden today." He said, aware of how bad it sounded.

"Really? I thought you were done with that. You can't just push it till later?" She asked with righteous indignation.

"It's just an afternoon meeting. We're just going to talk about an exit for me. We'll be done in like an hour and afterwards I'll meet you at the hospital." That wasn't a _total_ lie. This meeting _was_ going to be about them discuss his retirement from boxing. He just didn't tell her that retirement plan included a send-off match. She seemed to be placated all the same, breathing deeply.

"Ahhh…fine. But you better make it down there today…She's your mother too."

"I know darlin'. I know. I promise I'll be here." He gave her another kiss, got up, got dressed and headed out into their living room to prepare breakfast. He then noticed that the blue envelope was still sitting on the coffee table. Opened but unread.

 _"_ _Oh that's right. The last letter was such a sucker-punch we never got to that one."_

He picked it up and carried it over to the kitchen table. Preparing an omelet on the stove. Got his coffee ready. While he was waiting, he let curiosity overtake him and take a peek inside to read the letter. It looked really official, hard paper, border layout, almost like a diploma that was folded. What was in the letter was shocking though:

 _"_ _Dear Mrs. Hannah Shepard,_

 _We have the Systems Alliance have taken a keen interest in your biological & agricultural studies. As you may be aware, the Systems Alliance is at the forefront of leading a new age of discovering & exploration as humanity sets out to conquer the final frontier! As such, we require the minds of bright men & women like yourself to participate in our organization's Colonization Initiative to help put our best foot forward in settling the stars! _

_You will find more information in the included pamphlet. If you are interested in settling a new world and helping humanity reach the next stage of Civilization, don't hesitate to call your local Systems Alliance office to schedule an interview._

 _"_ _Holy Shite!"_ William screamed in his head, nearly spilling his coffee cup on the floor.

 _"_ _Hannah? Colonizing? In Fuckin' Space? That'd be like the mother of a dream jobs to her!"_ His thoughts were going a mile a minute. He looked at his watch and realized he was going to be late for his meeting at this rate. He needed to start driving to Dublin right now. He grabbed his things and started to bolt out the door.

 _"_ _Shit! The omelet!"_ He raced backed over to shut off the stove. Stuffing the undercooked egg into his mouth. Just then Hannah emerged from the bedroom.

"Will?" He saw her.

"What's with all the stomping around? You're causing a ruckus."

"Mchn't tahlk hmonay! Gahtah run! Byph!" He raced back out the door, leaving behind a very confused Hannah Shepard.

A/N: I know right? It's the future and we still haven't cured cancer. Maybe the Asari or Salarians got so much for it but we haven't met them yet :(

Hope you all are getting as much joy reading this as I am writing it! Don't hesitate to bring any spelling or grammar mistakes to my attention, as I'm super paranoid of those.

Until next time, have a nice day!


	3. One More Fight

Chapter 3: One More Fight

 ** _Year 2151 – Earth, Ireland_**

Will was driving quickly towards Dublin. Traffic being painfully slow on the way there. You'd think the advent of flying cars would help alleviate the traffic. He was on his way toward Dun Laoghaire Harbour near one of the shipyards. When he got there, he started walking the pier looking out for Brenden. His "office", as his text message referred to, was usually on the bench along the pier. Secrecy was kind of a requirement when you're running a technically illegal boxing league.

Will walked out to the farthest end of the pier but couldn't find his faithful bookie anywhere. Seeing no sign of Brenden, Will decided to sit down on the bench they used for their last meeting, and just hoped that he wasn't too late. He took a deep breath, trying to get his nerves in order, still a little shaken from reading Hannah's letter from the Alliance.

 _Jesus…colonizing deep space. Would Hannah sign on for that sort of thing? Would they let me come along if she did? What about Michael?_

Will shock himself a little and tried to focus on his surroundings. Seagulls were flying all about, ships arriving and departing on schedule, skies were perpetually grey with the constant threat of rain, in other words it was a typically afternoon in Dublin. It was going on 30 minutes now, starting to get really worried he missed the meeting. He was just about to get up and leave when suddenly his bench was flanked by an approaching chubby fellow in a long trench coat, an ascot cap, and a cigarette in his mouth. It was Brenden.

"Oh. You're early." He said.

 _Early? Well, yeah I guess I kinda bolted out the door after I saw the letter._ "Well it's the first time we messaged me in weeks, I didn't want to miss it."

Brenden took a seat beside Will, looking as casual as possible.

"So what've ya got for me?" Will asked.

"A date with Diaz. 2-to-1 odds. You can expect a payout around 10,000 Euros."

"What?! 3 months of nothing and that's the best you can do."

"It's the best you can get, mate." He said while chucking his cigarette over the side.

"Bren, that's not good enough. This is going to be my last fight. I need something big to go out on, just so Hannah and I can live comfortably."

"Willy, your record was abysmal last year. I know you got hit in the head a lot but come on you must've been awake for all those loses. With how you've been preforming your lucky I was able to get you anything at all. The fact that you're retiring makes me want to throw a party congratulating you for still having all your teeth."

"I know that I sucked all year, but Bren, I really need something here. I need big nest egg. Come on, there's gotta be some big fish somewhere that's looking for an easy win."

"Most of them are feasting on other jobbers right now, and I'm not exactly eager to set you up with those guys after how your fight with Manningham went."

Will took a deep breath and then dropped a bomb on Brenden. "Bren…I'm having son."

Brenden gave him a confused look in response. "Is that suppose to _convince_ me to throw you to the wolves?"

"No, it's suppose to give you an idea of how desperate I am."

"Will! Look, I know a lot less messier ways of getting out of paying child-support than killing yourself."

"That's not what I meant, damn it! I'm fighting **for** this kid, for my wife. She's had suffer through a lot of ring-side matches, watching me get my arse beaten into the mat and I want something to show to her it was all worth it! That means getting a big-arse fuckin' paycheck that we can raise our fuckin' kid on and go anywhere we fuckin' want! Now I want you to get me a big-name fighter so I can beat him into the ground!"

Brendan just stared at him, dumbfounded. A little impressed by his sudden bravado & zeal for his family. He stared running ideas through his head.

"Hmm…alright. You're that passionate about it I guess we can work something out."

Will was relived to hear him relent a little. "Right. You said "most" of them were busy, yeah? So there's got to be some of them open."

"Well there are some names available, like Rogers, O'Shay, McCormick…"

 _McCormick? I've heard that name before._ Will thought to himself. _Could it be…?_

"McCromick? As in Connor McCromick?"

"Yeah, he's one of the best in the class, you **don't** want to fight him though."

A wide smile started growing on Will's face. "Oh no, no Bren, that is perfect!"

"What you goin' on about?"

"I know Mick! We grew up together at Anne's Orphanage! Oh if I ask him to fight there's no way he'd say no!" Will was positively giddy now. Brenden was utterly bewildered.

"Did you miss the part where I said he's one of the best in the class?"

"No Bren, this is prefect! I know exactly how he fights. We used to tangle with each other when we were lads in the play yard, doing practice boxing. If you organize a match if us, what would the max payout be?"

"Well, shit a match like that against you would be something 6-to-1 odds so probably half a million Euros."

"Yes! That's more like it Bren! Don't even call him up, I'll call him. Ain't no way he'll say "no" to me, you can set up all the official stuff."

"Jesus, you're really dead-set on walking into the lion's den, ain't ya?"

"Like I said Bren, I got a family now. This is my last match so I'm gotta throw all I got in it."

"It might take more than that, mate." He said slightly shaking his head.

Will checked his watch, suddenly remembering he still needed to visit Lauren at the hospital.

"I gotta run now Bren, thanks a lot for the meeting! I'll catch you later!" Will yelled while running down the pier back to his car, and sure enough just then it started to rain. Will paid it no mind though, he had a feeling of joy and excitement in his heart. Granted, Hannah herself might feel way differently about it.

 ** _An hour later – St. Paul's Hospital_**

It was utterly miserable outside. Heavy rain was pouring down, smashing into the hospital windows, and the mood wasn't much better inside. Hannah was sitting bedside close to her mother, holding her hand tightly. Lauren was currently fast asleep, exhausted from her latest round of treatments. Despite them, it was pretty clear her body was withering away, her arms were practically nothing but bone now. The brain tumors were also giving her dementia, so trying to have a coherent conversation with her was a constant struggle.

Hannah had been at the hospital now for 2 hours. She was just about to type in her phone asking Will where he was but just then she heard loud footsteps down the hall and some nurse yelling at some to "slow down". That's when Will suddenly came through the door in his rain coat, completely drenched and looking out of breath.

"Ahh…sorry darlin'. I just got done talking with Brenden and I came over as fas—"

"Shhhh!" She cut him off. Pointing to her sleeping, bedridden mother.

"Right. Sorry." He whispered.

He found a chair and pulled it up beside Hannah.

"So how is she?"

"It's not pretty." She said while rubbing the back of Lauren's hand with her thump. "Her tumors are getting worse and she's been in & out of it all day."

"How long does she have?" He asked, looking at Lauren with a solemn look on his face.

"The doctors gave her a few weeks, two months at most." Hannah's eyes started watering up a bit, but she did her best to stay strong. Will placed his hand on her back, to lend her some of his strength.

"I just want her around long enough so she can see Michael. Even if she's not even lucid by then."

"I'm sure she'll pull through somehow."

"We can only hope…I had to sign her over to hospice care. All that's left is the waiting."

"I'm terribly sorry darlin'. I know this must be unbearable for you."

Hannah's reply was a simple "Yes." She let a few moments pass before she brought up an unexpected question.

"So I assume you read the letter from the Alliance?" Will raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Did you?"

"Well you left it open out on the table for me it was kinda hard to miss."

"Oh, yeah I did. So…are you considering doing it?"

Hannah took a more relaxed posture in her chair. "Hmm…I don't know to be honest. I mean, colonizing deep space, growing crops on an alien planet. That would be the adventure of a lifetime. Literally, since there's practically no chance you're ever going back, but…I don't know if they'd even let Michael come along or you for that matter. Not to mention buying the tickets and the supplies would be insanely expensive."

"Tickets? You mean they don't take care of all that stuff themselves?"

"Well for most of the expeditions yes, but there's such a huge boom right now in space exploration that there's a whole bunch other ones funded by private entities, plus there's a lot of people willing to pay through the nose just to leave Earth right now."

"I can certainly understand that." He chuckled.

"But I think I'm definitely going to call them for an interview at least. Just to see what it's like and if I'm good enough to go."

"Oh you're definitely good enough darlin'. You're one of the smartest people I know."

Hannah had a big laugh at that. "Ha! That's not a long list. You punch people for a living."

"Hey now! We're just bigger on street-smarts where I'm from." He said in mock offense.

"Speaking of what you do for a living, what happened at your meeting with Brendan?"

There was the question Will was dreaded the whole way here. Might as well bit the bullet now.

"Well…umm. We…uhh." Hannah's expression become more irritated the more he stammered.

"Spit it out, Will." She knew when he was stalling.

"We organized a retirement match for me." Finally putting it out there.

" **You-! I can't be—** " She grabbed Will by the arm and dragged him into the bathroom, not waiting her mother to hear the harsh haranguing she was about to give her husband.

" **I can't believe you! I thought you were done already! My mother is on her deathbed and you're going to give me another heart-attack by throwing yourself into the death-ring again! What were you thinking?!** " She screamed giving him a punch to the shoulder.

"Darlin'! It's not as bad as it sounds. I'm doing this for you & Michael! I know this guy, he's an old friend of mine, there's no way we'd kill each other, and fight is gonna have an insane purse!"

" **The only one "insane" is you! We don't need the money, Will! I need you, helping me raise our child in a way that doesn't** ** _destroy_** **you! I don't want to have to take care of** ** _two_** **comatose patients in the same year!"**

"Baby, it's just one more fight! I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was out for good, but I will be after this. Besides, if you sign on with the Alliance or whomever is funding this thing, then we _are_ going to need the money." Hannah's anger had died down to frustration.

"I just can't believe you're doing this again." She grunted. Tears were visibly starting to fall down your face now. Will grabbed on to both of her wrist to get her to calm down.

"Hannah, listen. I promise you're never going to lose me. I did this for you and baby, I fight because I want the best life possible for all of us. Please! It's just one more match and then I'm done for good."

"I just…I can't even look at you right now." She swung the bathroom door open. Lauren, now wide awake.

"What on Earth are you two shouting about?!" Neither of them paid attention to her at the moment.

"Will, just get out of here. Go back to the apartment or whatever. I am just too angry to talk to you right now."

Will looked like he was ready to continue arguing, but in light of having a newly awoken Lauren in the audience, he thought it best to just relent and retreat for now.

"Alright honey, I'll be off then." He gave a courteous nod. "Lauren, hope you're feeling well." And with that he left the room.

"What in blazes was that about?" A deeply confused Lauren asked. Hannah walked over back to her bedside.

"Will just did something really stupid."

 ** _Dusk – Shepard Residence_**

Will was in a terrible state right now. It felt awful, betraying Hannah like that and feel the full force of her hurt in response. He prayed to whichever god or deity would listen that Hannah would find it in herself to forgive him, and that this whole struggle would be worth it. It better be worth it, his marriage might just be on the line now. He loved Hannah, he knew he would do anything for her, but maybe he did take it too far sometimes, putting himself in danger for the sake of an over-the-top act of devotion. When all she wanted was to just have him around.

He then thought about the Alliance letter, how Hannah sounded so excited talking about being a potential colonizer. He wanted to help her realize that dream. He pulled his phone out, looked through his old contacts and found the number he was looking for. He pressed dial.

*Ring*Ring*Ring*Ring* Connected.

"Hey, it's me, Willy…I know, it's been a long time. So...I hear you're a boxer now."

A/N: Sorry this one took longer. I had to think really hard about how I want the Brenden and Hospital scenes to go. I think I'm happy with how it turned out though. I wanted to give a sense of just how desperate Will is, I hope I did a good enough job justifying him going with the match and scaring poor Hannah to death. I am having a lot of fun doing this "writing" business, so please feel free to review and tell me I need to improve on anything.


	4. Reconciling

Chapter 4: Reconciling

 _ **Year 2151 – Earth, Ireland**_

Hannah had opted to spend the night at the hospital, making a makeshift bed beside Lauren. She was still quite pissed at Will. She ranted to her mother for hours about what an idiot he is, during her thankfully lucid moments. She propped herself onto the bed with her back against the wall, reading one of her text-books, trying really hard to concentrate on something non-William related. If the miserable scowl on her face was any indication, she was failing badly. Lauren managed to break through the awkward silence.

"So are you just going to keep that miserable look on your face all night?"

"No, mum.," Hannah responded.

"I'm just saying, all this negative energy is not conducive to my condition."

"Well, you have Will to thank for creating the negative energy," she concentrated harder on the book in her hands.

"Excuse me dearie, but it seems quite silly to me that the woman who married a boxer, is upset that he likes to box."

Hannah finally set down the book. "That's not what I'm upset about! I'm mad that he went behind my back to organize a fight!"

"From the sound of it, it seems he was just trying to support you, dearie."

"Why are you taking his side in this?"

"Because as long as I've known him, he's been nothing but loyal and dedicated to you. Every time I saw him stepping into that ring, he did it to fight for the both of you. He's always wanted nothing but the best for you, same as me."

"He still shouldn't have lied to me," she said with deflating anger.

"You're right. He shouldn't have, but if he thinks this can help the both of you achieve your dreams, I think he's earned a show of support from you. You're both in an unstable position right now, and I just want a sense of security for you two before I die." Lauren began badly coughing towards the end of that last sentence, and Hannah's heart broke a little more as she rushed to comfort her mother.

"Don't stay mad at him over this dearie…that's all I ask," she said in a very weak voice.

 _Maybe mum is right. She and Will are the only family I have right now…and mum's not going to be around much longer. But I really don't want to lose Will either, especially not over a stupid boxing match. Maybe I should go over to the apartment and see him, talk this out._

"Alright mum, I'll try," she said while softly hugging her.

A soft smile grew on Lauren's face and she gave a weak chuckle as she said "Besides, any man that could put up with you while you were in your goth phase is worth keeping at all costs."

Hannah suddenly grew beet red from embarrassment. "That was years ago! We agreed to never talk about that again!"

Lauren gave the best laugh a terminally ill patient was capable of. "Hahaha! You stopped wearing the makeup when you were 19. Three years is hardly ancient history." Hannah couldn't help but laugh along now.

"Will didn't seem to mind it all that much," she boasted.

"I'm just saying, I think it's telling he proposed to you _after_ you grew out of it," Lauren retorted.

"You might have a point there." Hannah laughed along, treasuring this little moment of levity with her mother, that made them forget for just a brief moment that she was living on borrowed time. They both suddenly remembered what time was, as the clock gained their attention. It read 11:20 P.M.

"You've been here for hours, dearie. You should probably head home now."

"Yeah, you're right," Hannah conceded, abandoning her plans to stay the night at the hospital. "I should probably patch things up with Will. Are you going to be Okay here?"

"As good as I'll ever be…Don't worry about little, old me anymore. Just have a safe drive home."

"Okay mum," she leaned down to kiss her mother on the forehead. "Let me know if you need anything. I'll try to visit again next week."

"Take care of yourself, dear." That last comment brought a little tear to Hannah's eye as she headed out the door. Even when riddled with cancer and at death's door, her mum was still thinking of her daughter's well-being before her own.

" _I can only hope I'll be a quarter of a wonderful mother as she is. I need to be, for little Michael. He deserves the best and that's just what I'll give him and to any of my future children. After all, I have such a great example to draw on._

Hannah headed into her car from the hospital lobby, rain still falling down but much more gently then before. As she drove her way back home, her thoughts drift to the past, like her embarrassing "goth phase" her mother remarked on. The night she and Will first met, that lame house party…

 _ **Year 2146**_

A 17-year old Hannah Rivers, wearing heavy black makeup, was toiling away in her school's greenhouse, working on and studying various plants. This was an extracurricular activity of hers so there was no one else in there. She liked being around plants, nurturing life, helping them grow. It was a dream of hers to go to college and study agriculture, maybe solve world hunger some day with a new strain wheat. As of right now though, she mostly deserved the solitude, her father had recently past away, and in her grief, she found distraction in getting more involved with her studies, being surrounded by the life of beautiful plants & flowers provided a decent cover from the shroud of death.

Hannah's sense of tranquility was interrupted by a blonde-haired girl, in similar goth attire to her own, it was her friend Liz.

"You realize everyone has gone home now, right?" Liz said while approaching her friend.

"I was just checking on this little side-project." Hannah adjusted the UV lamb above the bright red rose. Not paying much attention to the blonde girl, as she walked closer to her. A sympathetic frown hanging on her face.

"You're not doing yourself any favors by hanging out here alone," Liz said to her.

"This is exactly where I want to be," she replied indignantly.

Liz gave a sigh and said "Alright listen, I think I have an idea to help pull you out of your stupor."

Hannah stood there thinking quietly about whether or not to hear whatever dumb idea Liz came up with now. She loved her friend's cheerful and helpful personality, but she was definitely not in the mood for cheer right now. On the other hand, she didn't want to come off as a bitch and just dismiss her kindness offhandedly like that.

"Fine, what is it?" She asked. Liz started listing things off her fingers.

"Well, the Rugby team just won National…"

 _Bad start._

"…So there's going to be a huge party at Donovan Murphy's house…"

 _People, ewww..._

"…And there's going to be lots of booze…"

 _A step in the right direction…_

"…and loud music to help you relax and get her mind off things."

 _That depends what the selection is, but ok..._

Liz looked like she was done listening things. "Is that it?" Hannah asked.

"Okay well I also wanted to make my move asking out Connor and you'd being doing me a huge favor by being my wing-girl."

"Pass."

"Come on!" Liz now sounding desperate. "It's a huge house so we'll have plenty of places to hide when you don't feel like talking to anyone."

Hannah took a while to ponder the offer. She definitely wanted to say no but she knew Liz would not stop pestering her until she agreed. Besides, some music and drinks didn't sound so bad.

"Fine. But I reserve the right to leave at any moment."

"That's alright with me! I'll meet you there then." And with that she dashed out of the greenhouse. Leaving Hannah to her thoughts again.

"This is probably a bad idea," she groaned to herself.

 _ **Later that night.**_

Hannah drove up the Murphy residences where rows of cars crowded the entire block. Loud party music and drunken wails could be heard miles away. The perfect place for someone to drown out the sound of their own thoughts. Hannah made her way into the house and found her friend Liz mingling with some tall guy she quickly identified as Connor, the lunkhead Liz had spent the last 2 years pinning over.

"Oh great! You made it!" Liz yelled jovially, quickly wrapping her arm around Hannah's shoulder, a red solo cup in her other hand. "Connor! This is my *blech* friend I was telling you about! Her dad just died! Isn't hat *blech* awful!" Connor drunkenly nodded in agreement. "Christ! That does suck!"

Hannah was really irritated right now.

"Yeah, can we not talk about that please?"

Liz, to her credit, quickly noticed the faux pas. "Oh shite! Right, sorry!" She quickly grabbed a cup from the counter and handed it to Hannah. "Here! You have to try this whiskey!"

She looked into the cup.

"This has a ping-pong ball in it."

"Oh sorry, well the keg should be around here somewhere."

"Right…well if you don't need me for anything else, I'm just going to wander the place."

"Sounds good! I'll just be right here with Conner! Try to enjoy yourself!"

And with that Hannah walked away and went on her quest to find solace, sadly she was met with disappointment: The music wasn't anything to her taste, the whiskey tasted like piss and really she had nothing in common anyone that was here. Mostly everyone was too inebriated to make small talk and anyone who wasn't… well Hannah wasn't too good at being an icebreaker. She was an ice-WALL most of the time if anything. So she continued to wander the house until she found a quiet room upstairs that looked like some sort of study. There were bookshelves covering two sides of the room with a large window sill overlooking the pool outside, an aquarium on the other side providing the only light source. Hannah decided to not flip the light switch and instead just walked over toward the window sill and sat down.

She felt completely alone now, taking a few more sips of her lousy drink (if it didn't have the decency to taste good, it could at least get her wasted), away from her useless friends and suddenly the grief that she came here to get away from was creeping back into her mind. She thought of her father, how much she loved him, how supportive he was of her studies and choice of career, the times he would take her out fishing and helped apply a band-aid every time she pricked her finger on the hook.

She missed him. She missed him terribly.

Her face started to become damp with tears.

This party was a terrible idea.

 _ **Back in 2151.**_

"So a match in August then?...Yeah, that sounds perfect. I think Michael will be born by then too…Haha I know, it hasn't really sunk in with me either…I'm in the doghouse right now but hopefully I can make it up to her by knocking your ass out…Hahaha yeah well we'll see about that."

Will heard a knocking at the door.

"I gotta go now, the missus is here…Yeah, nice talking to you too, I'll see you at the conference…Goodbye." Once he had hung up, he walked over to the door and sure enough there was Hannah staring back at him. They shared an awkward silence together, until Hannah finally stepped forward and gave him a hug, which Will hesitantly returned.

"Umm…does this mean you're not mad anymore?"

"I'm still mad at you."

"Well in any case, I just want to say I'm sorry."

"I forgive you."

"You're mad but still forgive me? That doesn't make much sense."

"Just shut up and take the hug."

"Ok, I can live with that," he tightens his embrace around her.

"You better come back to me in one piece after this."

"I promise dear, the only thing that's going to be a mess after this, is Mick," he said while rubbing her back. She gives a sigh of acceptance and ends the hug.

"Come on, it's way past time we went to bed." Will couldn't agree more. He was feeling very exhausted after this emotionally trying day. "Lead the way, Darlin'." They got into their sleepwear and settled into bed together. Hannah pretty much went right to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Will, however, still had things occupying his mind. He looked upon his wife's beautiful face, her heavily protruding tummy under the covers and he was again reminded of why this match was so important to him. He realized it was wrong to go behind Hannah's back like that, but in his mind this was the only way they could get the money to fulfill their dreams. Even though she forgave him for it, he would find some way to make it up to her. He had to be the luckiest man in the galaxy to be with a woman like her. As sleep started to take him away, his mind drifted off to the night they fist met, that crazy house party…

 _ **Year 2146**_

Going to a house party was a great idea. At least that's what Mick tried to convince Will. The Kilkenny rugby team just won the national championship and high school big shot, Donovan Murphy was throwing the biggest party in the county as a celebration. So naturally, the two orphan outcasts from Dublin with no peer group besides their own, were going to stop by and crash it.

"This is a terrible idea," he grumbled.

"Annnd yet you're still in the car," Mick shot back.

"I'm babysittin' ya, so you don't make an ass of yourself."

" **Everyone** is gonna make an ass of themselves Willy! It's the biggest party of the year! There's gonna be a pool, girls, a hot-tub, hot girls, and Donavan snagged the keys to his dad's liquor cabinet, so that means **drunk** girls! You can't deny the score, mate!" Mick was very excited. Will wasn't quite sold on the pitch though.

"The rugby team is going score. That's who everyone wants to shag with now. _We_ are the two orphan lads that nobody talks to."

"Well this is our chance to break the curse, Willy! Or did you miss the part where I said _everyone is going to be fuckin' plastered at this party_! Just find a floozie and work your charm. Hell, you can prolly just lie and say you're on the team, she won't give a shite."

Will finally relented to this idea with a sigh, it's not like they had many relationship prospects anyway. He just hated awkward conversations and loud music, hopefully the booze would alleviate some of that annoyance.

"Alright, fine. But the second you get into a fist-fight with Donovan or something, I'm leaving with the car."

"Pffft. Some mate you are. I'm challenging every one of those lunk-heads to a fight and I want you in my corner!" He chuckled out loud. Will chuckled back at him.

"Fuck no to that, Mick! You're going solo on that one. Haha."

The finally arrived at the Murphy house and enough the entire place was a riot, it was everything Will feared. Loud music, people shouting incoherently, annoying light shows, the smell of piss & puke heavy in the air, and here was quiet, reserved Will Shepard surrounded by it all. This was going to be a long night, he thought. Mick, meanwhile, had already made his plan of attack.

"Alright I'm goin' by the bar. Where will you be?" Mick asked.

"I'm…just gonna hang by the pool and pretend I'm having a good time." Will said while walking over a lawn chair.

"Alright, more action for me then." And with the two went their separate ways for the night. Will grabbed a solo cup filled with what he guessed was scotch, (he couldn't tell, he wasn't much of a drinker). Being by the pool proved to be a bad idea once some moron decided to do a 20-foot cannonball into the pool, splashing anyone close enough to the edge.

"Well, so much for that idea." Will began wondering the property in an attempt to find some kind of spot that was relatively peaceful spot to hang out. In spite of being completely surround by people, Will couldn't help feeling completely alone. He didn't really know anyone here, to him they were all just acquaintances from school, and everyone here either dancing or behaving like drunk idiots, didn't lend much opportunity to start a conversation.

His wanderings eventually lead him to the one relatively quiet spot in the house, the study. The lights were out, but from what he could gleam it was a fairly standard study room: upholstery furniture, shelves filled with books that have probably never been touched, the most striking detail though was the large aquarium built into the wall that gave the whole room a flowing, blue color, it had such a calming effect he didn't bother to flick the light switch. He could use some peace & quiet about now. As he moved toward the couch, he suddenly heard a feminine voice.

"You lookin' for the after-party?"

Will quickly noticed he wasn't the alone in the room. That's when he saw her. A girl, perched over by the windowsill. From what he could gather she had black hair, black tights or leggings perhaps, with a grey hoodie and solo cup in hand. She blended so well in the darkness he didn't noticed her at all.

"I'm sorry!" He said in a startled voice. "I didn't see you there."

"It's alright. I'm usually hard to find." She took a sip of her drink.

"Is it alright if I hang here? I was just looking somewhere to get away from the noise." He asked while awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

"It's fine. That's why I'm here." She turned back to look out the window, while Will moved towards the chair closer to her. As he got a better look, he could tell this girl was…well beautiful. It might have been the light from the aquarium bouncing off her but from what he could see, she had a breath-taking visage; soft cheeks, a cute nose, deep blue eyes, dark make-up and all-black attire that gave the impression she was into the goth scene, the black calf-high boots lend further evidence to this theory. Although her make-up looked a little smeared on closer inspection. He settled into the chair, sipping on his beer. Will decided to be the brave one and break the silence.

"So…you know anyone here?"

"Not really. Just trying to find somewhere away from the noise and my thoughts."

"Huh, well noise usually helps you stop thinking."

"Nah. That's what the alcohol is for. I'd rather have the headache later than now."

"I hear that…I don't really know anyone here either, I just came as a favor for my mate."

"Ha, same."

"Really? Bribery or blackmail?"

"Emotional handwringing more like it. What about you?"

"He promised me booze and girls. That's usually enough for me."

"Haha." That gave Hannah a much-needed chuckle. His answer was so typically but she found his honesty refreshing. "Have you found them?"

"Well, the beer is shit and nobody here is really my type sooo no."

"That's a shame." She said while circling the rim of her cup. Will left his chair and moved against the wall closer to the girl."

"So you go to the same school as everyone here?"

"Technically yes, if you mean in Kilkenny, but not for much longer. I'm going to college soon."

"That's nice. You got a major yet?"

"Agriculture."

"Haha! I thought that went out last century. Everything is all urban and big cities now."

"As long as people need to eat, they will pay people to grow them. And they DO still have farming in the cities."

"Alright! I'll take your word on it."

"So what are you studying?"

"Oh I'm too stupid for studying. I'm just training to be a boxer."

"I thought THAT went out last century."

"Well, as long as people like to punch each other, someone will get paid to do it."

"Touché." He stretched out his hand to her.

"Name's Will by the way. Will Shepard." She accepted his hand and shook it. "Hannah Rivers…You can sit right there if you want." She pointed an empty spot next to her on the windowsill and he accepted, and they both start staring out the window together. Observing everyone's joyous buffoonery outside. It was Hannah's turn to break the silence this time.

"So how did you sneak away from your parents to come here?"

"They're not a factor. I don't have any."

Hannah did not expect that answer. "Really?"

"Yeah. Spent most of my life in foster care. Didn't even get a letter or anything."

Hannah's heart went out to poor Will. She could relate to loss but not total absence.

"That sounds terrible. I'm really sorry."

"It's fine, I try not to let it bother me."

Hannah looked down towards her shoes. "…I lost my father last month. Car accident"

"Shit, now I'm sorry." He leaned in closer to her. "Is that what the mascara tears are for?"

"Huh?"

"You've got like make-up smears across your cheeks." He said while pointing at his face. Hannah looked quite annoyed as she touched her cheeks and say he was right. "Shit!"

"What was he like? Your dad?" Will didn't know why he was suddenly so invested in this girl's story…well the fact that she was cute was the most obvious reason, but beyond that he felt there was a genuine connection forming between them. Hannah seemed surprised by the question, but as soon as she got her face in order, she obliged him with an answer.

"He was…one of those people you don't appreciate till their gone." As she said that it looked like tears were threatening to break free from her eyes again, but she stood strong and held them back. William really admired that sort of strength.

"Well he must've been a good man to raise someone as strong as you." Hannah was taken aback by that comment. It was an awfully presumptuous thing to say, but at the same time he wasn't wrong and quite appreciated being complimented in such a way. She didn't know if it was the alcohol or merely the fact he was willing to listen to her when she really needed someone to talk to, but he did look very handsome…probably both if we're being honest.

"Yeah, he was. I'm sure whoever raised you didn't do a bad job either, to be someone so nice."

"I'm nice when I can be." He said in a somewhat flirty tone. The alcohol was _definitely_ getting to him. They scooted closer together until they were rubbing shoulders together, their backs against the window now. Hannah summoned up some more liquid courage.

"So you said none of the girls here are you're type. So what is your type?" Will, being put on the defensive now suddenly felt bashful but he persevered.

"Well…uhh…hmm, smart girls, black hair, not afraid of what people think of them, ones that…look really good in leggings." As Will listed the items off his list, Hannah was slowly moving closer to his face. Not at all missing the fact he was oh-so-subtly describing her, and she was vulnerable enough right now to let it flatter her. She was about to go in for the kill when suddenly the last working brain-cell in mind started firing off!

 _STOP! Are you crazy?! We know nothing about him and you're seriously going to make a move on him while your both drunk? You're better than that!_

"I also _really_ dig goth girls." Will said while giving an intense "bedroom-eyes" stare.

 _Fuck it! He's cute and I could use a shag. Why the hell not?_

She crashed her lips into his at great speed that threw Will back on the other side of the sill. His lips tasted amazing! Even with that awful whiskey covering them. After a couple seconds, she broke off and then thought of something really bold.

"There's a bedroom down the hall. Wanna mess it up?"

After a about half-a-second, Will answered with a nonchalant "Yeah, sure." And they both darted out of the study together hand-in-hand. This had all the makings of a joyous if not immediately regrettable night, and yet, to the pleasant surprise of both of them, no regrets were ever had. Either that night or any night since.

* * *

A/N: Wow, this took way longer than it should have. Really sorry to those of you who have been waiting patiently for this. My only excuses are a bad case of writer's block and working 2 jobs. Hopefully it doesn't take 2 months for the next one but I can't promise anything with my schedule. Hope you all enjoyed this! Don't forget to review :)


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